Next Generation Robots for STEM Education and Research at Huston-Tillotson University
Abstract
he National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 and the Department of Defense (DoD) Appropriations Act for 2016 allocated $28M to assist Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MI). The program aims to (a) enhance research programs and capabilities in scientific and engineering disciplines critical to the national security functions of DoD; (b) enhance the capacity of HBCU/MI to participate in defense research programs and activities; and (c) increase the number of graduates, including underrepresented minorities, in fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) that are important to the defense mission. The FY 2016 DoD HBCU/MI Research and Education Program Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) solicited proposals from single investigators at HBCUs and MIs for the acquisition equipment and instrumentation in scientific areas important to one or more the three defense research offices, namely: Army Research Office (ARO); Office of Naval Research (ONR); and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). All equipment/instrument grant awards made under this program will have a 12-month performance period. Huston-Tillotson University (HTU) proposes to acquire ten modular robotics kits and a compatible humanoid robot for use by students and researchers. This equipment employs state-of-the-art Robotics Plug-and-Play technology that enables the rapid creation of custom robots and thereby overcomes a key barrier of entry: the creation of robot hardware and software platforms in support of research and development activities. The equipment employs new actuators called Liquid Cooled Damped Series Elastic Actuator that vastly exceed existing actuator capabilities in terms of Overall Actuator Performance (OAP). The OAP is the summation of multiple highly relevant metrics including energy efficiency, power density, mechanical robustness, position controllability, and force controllability. The proposed equipment and instrumentation will greatly facilitate ongoing research on physical human-robot interaction. Finally, the proposed equipment acquisition will catalyze further collaboration between HTU and other leading institutions in the country, specifically including planned collaborations with the University of Texas at Austin (UTA).
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 12, 2017
- Source ID
- W911NF1610431
Entities
People
- Azubike Okpalaeze
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Huston–Tillotson University
- Office of the Secretary of Defense